Sometimes the most important part of a conversation is the bit that nearly gets said.
I’ve noticed this quite a lot in coaching.
Someone starts talking about something that’s bothering them.
They explain the situation.
They give the background.
They make sense of it.
And then there’s a pause.
Sometimes there’s something else there.
A sentence that starts with:
“I probably shouldn’t say this, but…”
Or:
“Actually, what I really think is…”
Or simply:
“I’ve never said this out loud before.”
Those moments can matter.
Not because what follows is necessarily some great revelation.
But because it’s often the first time someone has allowed themselves to say what they’ve been thinking without editing it first.
There’s no need to rush in and make something of it.
Sometimes it just needs to be heard.
Sometimes it opens up another part of the conversation.
And sometimes it changes nothing at all.
For me, that’s one of the privileges of coaching - creating a space where someone doesn’t have to tidy up their thoughts before they bring them into the room.
They can just say what’s there.
And see where it takes them.
#Coaching #SelfAwareness #ExecutiveCoaching #Listening #PersonalDevelopment
